This blog is an ever evolving social experiment where I will attempt to find purpose and direction - and so will be illustrated by the content that arrives here. It all began as a way to document my path to becoming an expatriate. It will shift to life goals, inspirational tid bits, and other things to prove that not all who wander are lost. I will try to get something here once a week or so and let you know how things are coming along!

20090902

OK, not even really close yet, but then I ask, "Why not today? Why not now? Why not this very moment in time?" What is it about change that makes it this forever future endeavour that needs some event to catalyse it into action? I have been a procrastinator for most of my life until now. See? No longer a procrastinator - I just did that right now. Easy. Done.

But to my point, in recent memory, they persons that I have encountered that have been the happiest, the most full of life; are those who have had a brush with death. Persons for whom the reaper has been by to escort off a loved one or to essentially say, "See you soon." People who have become acutely aware of the impermanent nature of things. This should be all of us.

Life does not start on some obscure date "out there" - it is and it is happening right now. So if, right now, you are not sucking every ounce of joy from the day through a huge ass straw - time to rethink things. Honestly, did you think you'd be where you are right now five years ago? One year ago? Last week? Goes by quick doesn't it?

Marathoners have heart failures. Teetotallers are run down by drunken drivers. There are insects and bacteria that can kill you. Do not grow old, do not collect social security, go directly...you see my point. If you hate your job, quit. If your marriage is a sham built on obligation, file for divorce. If you are sitting about waiting for the world to right itself and have good things land in your lap, stand up, go to the mirror, look yourself in the eye and say, "The only person who can change my life is me." Repeat this until you believe it.

Start small today, just for an hour - power off your computer, mobile device, and anything else that could distract you. Go outside and just be. Take in the wonder around you and just be. Do not speculate about the future or where you need to be sixty-one minutes from now - just be in the moments as they pass. If you cannot be outside; stare out a window, find a good book, really focus on an enjoyable hobby. Do this for you and for no one else - remember you are not "wasting time", you are reclaiming it. It is yours to spend, you do not know how much you have, and I recommend investing every bit of it in you and in those you love.

20090303

While I cannot take credit for this content I thought it facinating and thought provoking enough to share. Thanks the the anonymous posting on CostaRicaLiving (a free and open Yahoo! group) - here you go:

Thomas Jefferson in some cases could be called a prophet.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.Thomas Jefferson

Very interesting quote in light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to ourliberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allowprivate banks to control the issue of their currency, first byinflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that willgrow up around the banks will deprive the people of all propertyuntil their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathersconquered.'

20090226

Started reading Reclaim Your Dreams by Jonathan Mead the other day wherein there are several "exercises" - you know, the kind you usually skip over for the sake of just completing the book. However, this one was different in that by not doing it, I likely gained more insight than the exercise could have offered. The exercise consisted of a single question requiring you write down your answer. The question, "What are your dreams?"

As I skipped past this silliness a small part of my brain lingered on these four words. Continuing to read without actually processing the words on the page my mind became consumed by the void that was the answer to this question. Just one year ago this would have so simple, so straight forward, so very easy at that time in my life. But when was that? That was when the quality of my life was determined by the things in it that I controlled: my cars, plasma televisions, carbon fibre bicycles, and all of it in my "better than your" house. My list would have taken a small notebook less one sheet of paper.

Now this emptiness grew so I moved quickly to fill it with some form of fodder even I did not know the origins thereof. "I dream of having no mortgage payment." "I dream of having no car payment." "In my dream the house does not need paint next year." All of it utter bullocks. These are not dreams but aspirations driven by the trappings of the life I dug myself into. Not even that, these were preferences - who would prefer not to make a car payment? Had I become so shallow, so trite that a zero balance on a credit card was a dream?

Then the superficial set in - I had to be better than this. Fantastic marriage to the love of my life - uh, got that. Inner peace and calm as I live in the moment and embrace life every day I wake - I thought that's BS and I prove it every time I leave for the office in the morning rather than stay home with my great wife and fantastic dogs in our lovely home. My charity work...never mind.

There must be a context I can put this in that will allow me to dream. Truly dream while awake and see what it is that is my purpose. So absorbed with the grind of life, the goals that typify most of us, that my dreams have been crushed under the weight of unattainable goals. Worse yet, they are not even my goals.

I still do not have a list of dreams - but they will come. What I have derived is a purpose - to live my dreams, whatever they might be, and tell the story of how I did it in hopes of inspiring others to do the same. Clearly there are already books on this topic, so the concept is not new. However, we must know that inspiration strikes in a moment, can come from anywhere, and can forever change your life. With my story in the wild, perhaps I can be that motivation that strikes in some moment and inspires. Perhaps there will be a stumbling, or a missed key stroke that will bring someone here for just the moment necessary. Of course, to fulfill my purpose I will have to keep going now won't I?

20090212

This morning I learned that the daughter of a friend and colleague has developed stage four stomach cancer at the age of two. While we all retain hope and wish for the best - I fear we all know the end is too soon in coming - stealing the life from this girl who has not yet even lived.

Life is too short. In all that we do, whatever that might be, we must do so without ill will or misguided intentions. Find what makes you happy and go for it without hesitation. Spend the rest of your living for you right now and not for what might or might not be tomorrow.

I take refuge in the fact that this event will inspire and drive me to do more. To do more now and to remind me that the moment we live in is all that we truly have. Tragedy happens every day. Some days it happens close to home. Tomorrow it could be even closer...

20090208

As we have finalized our decision to go, now is the hardest part - waiting. Not fining a new home, not selling our current home, not packing, not learning the language - waiting. In a culture so permeated by instant gratification and sense of entitlement it is extremely challenging to do the right things, the right way, and invest the time necessary to do them. Case in point, we know full well we'll never return to the United States as citizen once we obtain foreign citizenship. So we could abandon our home, debts, and other aspects of our lives and be gone tomorrow. But that is not our style. We'd like to be able to come back to visit without fear of incarceration from time to time. So, that leaves us here....waiting. You can only pay down debt so quickly, you can only cut so many expenses from your budget, and all the while you wait.

But this presents a great opportunity to learn and grow. Time for research on where to live, how to live, and among whom to live. A time to seek out and find like minded people and learn from their experiences and insights. A time not only to learn a language but to master it. Here and now we can plan travel to our new home to see, feel and experience it - and to make sure this is where we truly want to be.

A while back, I made a promise to myself that I would never sit, watch, and wait for a computer to due something time consuming (e.g. install an OS, transfer 12 petabytes over a 56K modem). I told myself that it is during that time that I must do something, do anything but sit idle and just wait. Fill the stapler, take out the recycling, go grab a soda, use the restroom, whatever; just do not sit and stare at a status bar. Waiting to move is my new software install - I cannot sit idle - I must do...something. I must do anything but sit and wait.

There is an old saying about idle hands doing the devils work, I don't know what it is. I do know that, in this case, it seems being idle itself is the evil we must work to avoid. Now I'm off to track the package containing my new Rosetta Stone language learning software. With hope it will be here tomorrow and I will have one more thing to do while we wait.